John’s vision of the two beasts of Revelation 13 has vital continuity from Daniels vision of the four beasts in Daniel 7. As John’s vision expounds upon the same theme of Daniel’s vision, it is of the utmost importance to first understand Daniel’s vision, which serves as the basis for John’s vision of the two beasts. Therefore, I do not recommend going through this discourse until first going through Daniels Vision of the ‘Little Horn’.

In Revelation 13, we have a conglomeration of all four beasts of Daniels vision; Between the Winged Lion, the Bear, the Four-Headed Leopard and the fourth beast, there are 7 heads.

Revelation 13 begins with, “…a beast (kingdom) rising up out of the sea (nations), having seven heads (legacy of all four kingdoms) and ten crowns (10 kingdoms), and on his heads, a blasphemous name (false religious system)…

So if we translate the ‘prophesy language’ into ‘literal language‘, this passage may be rendered something like this:

“…a kingdom rising up out of the nations, having a legacy of all four kingdoms, ruling 10 other kingdoms, headed by a false religious system”…

…was like a leopard (Greece), feet like a bear (Medo-Persia), mouth like a lion (Babylon) and the dragon (Satan) gave him his power, his throne and great authority.” (Rome, being a conglomeration of all the kingdoms)

“And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded
(After the Fall of Rome near the end of the 5th century, the apparent demise of the Roman Kingdom seemed beyond recovery while it spiraled into degradation and splintered into countless factions without central power for the next few centuries)

and his deadly wound was healed
(Yet, with such developments during the second half of the 8th century, which brought about the revival of the Roman Empire (fourth beast) – with the subsequent rise of the ‘Papal Horn’ – which came to dominate over the other ‘horns’(or sovereigns of the Roman/European nations), the kingdom was resumed under the Papal Caesar.)

and all the world marveled and followed the beast.”
(So was the glory of Rome)

“So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who can make war with him?”
(The glory of Satan‘s kingdom was praised & adored, and no doubt, Rome was most formidable, as all who were not in obedience to her ecclesiastical and political order were crushed with inquisitions, wars, crusades, persecutions, massacres – even total annihilation of entire races of people!)

“And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies,
(that Horn from Daniel’s vision which had a mouth that spoke pompous words against the Most High – the Papacy, being the mouthpiece of Rome)

and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.”
(42 months or 3½ years, or 1260 days- is the same as “Time, times and half a time” given in Daniel 7, as already explained to be 1260 literal years)

“Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven.”
(To see a record of just how great the multitude of Papal blasphemies, see Speaking Great Words and Blaphemy)“…And it was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them (as spoken of in Daniel’s visions). And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue and nation.” (A mere secular power could not succeed global domination; the Pharaohs, Babylonian Kings, Roman Emperors and the Papal See knew that ultimate temporal power must have the combination of both political power coupled with religious power. The Papal Caesar’s have mastered this deception so well that few even know who, what, where and how they control the nations).

“All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” (Not just Catholics, but people of all different religions pay their respects to the Pope)

“…Then I saw another beast (another kingdom) coming out of the earth (flashback to when the nations of fallen Rome were scattered into a dry and barren wasteland, as the rise of Papal power seized the newly revived Roman Empire) and he had two horns like a lamb (like the Lamb of God) and spoke like a dragon.” (Presuming the authority of Christ while speaking pompous words & blasphemies like the Dragon)

“And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence (wielding all the power of Rome), and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast (such greatness of his supremacy gave glory, praise & adoration to Rome), who’s deadly wound was healed. (Rome, which had resurrected from the dead).

“He performs great signs so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on earth in the sight of men.” (when popes would depose kings or excommunicate certain poor souls to their accursed demise, it was like fire striking down from heaven)

“And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, (the Roman Church has always been famous for its signs & wonders, being sanctioned by the Papacy, which have served well to “authenticate” its “divine authority” with such a multitude of manifestations and apparitions)telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.” (The Papal system entailed a process of electing succeeding popes to power, who would become the very express image of Rome)

“He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast,
(upon the installation of a new pope, the papacy was given life as this common individual was then exalted to be “God on Earth” – holding true to the Mystery Religion of its Babylonian legacy)

that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.”
(Being the image, mouthpiece and supreme ruling power of Rome, numerous papal canons & creeds were devised to retain such authority, as any who were not of this order were subject to the bloodshed of those notorious Papal persecutions)

“He causes all, both small and great, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. (The mark, or name, or number – obviously there are many forms of this loyalty, and we have seen more overtly during medieval times how any who were known to be buying and selling with those “heretics” would meet the same bloody fate as them. Currently, the monopolization of resources and monetary systems throughout the world seem to indicate an upcoming new wave of such persecution at a whole new scale and dimension)

Here is wisdom; let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.
(We have all seen & heard numerous different figures indicted as the “Antichrist” because the numerical value of their names happen to add up to 666. The fact is that many names and titles can add up to this number. But what if there was a figure who had many different names and titles and it happened that all of them added up to that number?…

Well, the Papacy happens to have many different names and titles, and it just so happens that all these Latin titles add up to 666:

Vicarius Filii Dei – means “Vicar of the Son of God” and is the official title of the Pope